Landeskundliche Themen für das Abitur im Fach Englisch. Eine Lernzusammenfassung in Stichpunkten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. American Traditions and Visions – The American Dream
1.1. The American Dream
1.1.1. Definition
1.1.2. Quotations
1.2. The American Dream Then and Now
1.2.1. Then
1.2.2. Now
1.3. American Nightmare Visions
1.4. Does the American Dream come true – NOW?
1.5. Historical landmarks of the American Dream
1.6. Important Documents
1.6.1. Bill of Rights
1.6.2. Declaration of Independence
1.7. Incidental Matters
1.7.1. Manifest Destiny
1.7.2. The Frontier
1.7.3. The Puritans
1.7.4. The New Canaan
1.7.5. Statue of Liberty

2. British Traditions and Visions
2.1. History
2.2. From Empire to Commonwealth
2.2.1. Empire
2.2.2. Dissolution of Empire
2.2.3. The Commonwealth
2.3. The political system in Great Britain
2.3.1. The monarchy
2.3.2. Main political Parties
2.3.3. The Parliament
2.4. Britain and the EU
2.4.1. Facts
2.4.2. Arguments of the Eurosceptics and in favour of the European Union

3. Post-colonialism and Migration
3.1. India important facts
3.2. India’s present situation
3.3. Indian history
3.3.1. British Empire
3.3.2. Partition (India and Pakistan)
3.4. Migration
3.4.1. Immigration to England
3.4.2. Reasons for immigration
3.4.3. Migration today
3.5. Caste System
3.6. Arranged marriage

4. Globalization – Global Challenges
4.1. Definition
4.2. Keywords
4.3. Types of globalization
4.4. Economic and cultural Issues
4.5. Eras of globalization
4.6. Trigger and Promoter of the globalization
4.7. Pros and Cons of globalization
4.8. Global warming and its consequences
4.8.1. Global warming
4.8.2. Consequences of global warming:
4.9. How to slow the climate change ð measures
4.10. Some alternative/renewable energies
4.11. The Kyoto Protocol
4.12. International peacekeeping at the turn of the century
4.12.1. The United States
4.12.2. The United Nations
4.12.3. International peacekeeping

5. Shakespeare
5.1. William Shakespeare
5.2. Elizabethan Age
5.2.1. Politics and economics
5.2.2. Culture
5.3. The Great Chain of Being
5.4. Elizabethan Theatre
5.4.1. Theatres
5.4.2. Common complaints about the theatre
5.5. Shakespeare’s Language
5.6. Renaissance
5.7. Relevance to modern audience

6. Science and Ethics
6.1. Genetic engineering in general
6.1.1. Definition
6.1.2. Stem cells
6.1.3. Pros and Cons
6.2. Genetically modified food (GM food)
6.2.1. General information
6.2.2. Pros and Cons
6.3. Cloning
6.3.1. General information
6.3.2. Therapeutic Cloning
6.3.3. Reproductive Cloning
6.3.4. DNA-Cloning
6.4. Designer baby
6.4.1. General information
6.4.2. Pros and Cons
6.5. Glossary
6.5.1. Reprogenetics
6.5.2. Sex selection
6.5.3. Human cloning
6.5.4. In vitro fertilization

1. American Traditions and Visions – The American Dream

1.1. The American Dream

1.1.1. Definition

- In 1931 first used by James Truslow Adams (In his Book: “The Epic of America”)
- “The American Dream is the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.”
- no single definition – varies for every Individual
- Core element is that if a person works hard enough he/she will achieve his/her goals and improve his/her position in life

1.1.2. Quotations

- “From a dishwasher to a millionaire.”
- “From rags to riches.”
- “All men are created equal.”

1.2. The American Dream Then and Now

1.2.1. Then

- The early settlers in America hoped for a better life than the one they had left behind in Europe. They dreamt about:
- The personal dream of freedom, self-fulfillment, dignity and happiness
- The economic dream of prosperity and success (“from rags to riches”)
- The religious dream of religious freedom in a “promised land” in which they were God’s chosen people
- The social dream of equality and a classless society
- The political dream of democracy

1.2.2. Now

- The American Dream has come to be seen more critically
- Critics regard: American Dream is an illusion
- Multiculturalism: relates to communities containing multiple cultures
- Multicultural society: society where multiculturalism is accepted
- Salad bowl: integration of many different cultures of the US residents combine like a salad
- Melting pot: various ethnic groups amalgamate into one new nation
- Assimilation: language and culture of a person come to resemble those of another
- E pluribus unum: “out of many, one”

1.3. American Nightmare Visions

- Bad health care system
- Terror
- Economic problems
- Bank crisis/ debts
- Gap between poor and rich
- Financial crises (i.e. 2008)
- Big gap between dream and reality
- Racism/no equality
- Black and white
- Slavery
- Immigration
- No American Dream for Mexicans and African Americans

1.4. Does the American Dream come true – NOW?

- No classless society ð lower classes are the losers in the race of success
- Huge diversity in income and lifestyle
- Hard work for middle class to live the American way
- Vision of America as a “melting pot”(immigrants give up their identity) didn’t become reality
→ Immigrants get more self-confident
→ New concept: “Salad bowl” (multicultural America)
- critics see the American Dream as a clever political and marketing strategy
- want people to get away from selfish individualism and materialism
- huge gap between rich and poor is obvious, but the role of state welfare and political intervention in helping weaker members of society remains controversial – society is marked by the ambition to succeed
- more and more illegal immigrations – used as a cheap workers
- real American Dream of giving up national identity, way of life or culture and language has never become reality

⇨ The American Dream is for some people only an illusion

1.5. Historical landmarks of the American Dream

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1.6. Important Documents

1.6.1. Bill of Rights

- First ten amendments to the American Constitution (Amendments known as the Bill of Right )
- Written because some delegates feared restriction of personal freedom and the pursuit of happiness
- Guarantee America’s citizens certain unalienable rights, e.g. freedom of religion, speech and press and right to bear arms

1.6.2. Declaration of Independence

- Written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson
- All American citizens are created equal (personal rights)
- Possibility for every American to lead his life the way he wants to, by making his own personal dreams come true
- 1776: 13 colonies declared their independence from England and were at war with England
- Questioned the rights of the British monarch (revolutionary at the time)

1.7. Incidental Matters

1.7.1. Manifest Destiny

- Belief that America is the one nation ordered by God to expand across the North American continent
- America = a country that is superior to all other countries
- Stresses virtue of the American people, as they are the ones to establish moral rules and values across the globe
- American patriotism is deeply rooted in the concept of “Manifest Destiny”

1.7.2. The Frontier

- Pacific coast was reached in the 2nd half of the 19th century
- After this mission
- New challenges – new frontiers – were needed (e.g. space exploration (moon landing), scientific and technological progress)

1.7.3. The Puritans

- Puritan’s beliefs and values had a lasting impact on New England society
- Towards the end of 16th century some English Protestants felt that Protestantism in England was not much different from Catholicism

⇨ Decided to leave England, seeking their luck elsewhere

- Wished to remain English subjects but free to worship God the way they wanted to

⇨ Intention: to purify the Church of England, not to leave it

- September 1620: group of 102 people left England for America (sailed on a ship Mayflower), arrived in America 65 days later, in a bay called Plymouth Bay

1.7.4. The New Canaan

- Canaan was the Land God promised to the Israelites, the place where Moses led his people when God told him to free them from the Egyptian slavery
- A land of milk and honey
- People who flew of religious persecution to America called it “New Canaan” – hope that America will become “promised land”
- Closely linked to the idea of “manifest destiny”

1.7.5. Statue of Liberty

- First thing many immigrants saw when they came by ship to New York City during the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, was the Statue of Liberty (located on Liberty Island)
- A robed woman, holding a lit torch in her right and a tablet in her left hand -> showing the date of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
- One of the most famous American icons, symbolizing enlightenment, independence, liberty and freedom

1.7.6. Ellis Island

- the place where most immigrants first set foot on American soil
- an island of hopes but also an island of tears for a number of immigrants
- some of them were detained there for legal, or medical reasons or sent back
- the gateway to a new – better – life for the majority of the immigrants

2. British Traditions and Visions

2.1. History

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2.2. From Empire to Commonwealth

2.2.1. Empire

- Britain _Powerful; Wealthy; Defeated other nations ð gained supremacy; Industrial Revolution ð Technological advances

2.2.2. Dissolution of Empire

- After World War II _ Colonies were eager for independence and freedom
- British thought: Colonies are developed enough to govern themselves on their own
- High war costs prevented a British reign of the whole world

2.2.3. The Commonwealth

- Follower of the British empire (founded in 1931)
- Group of 53 independent states _ many former British colonies joined at the end
- The British Queen is the head of the commonwealth
- Reasons for joining:
- Commercial reasons; protection; no economic or political advantages
- Aims:
- Racial equality; national sovereignty

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